I Samuel 19

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I Samuel 19:4-6, Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?”

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”

Saul’s jealousy of David is beginning to become an obsession.  Saul is determined to see David dead.  It’s hard to imagine that this king, who saw the hand of God work powerfully in his life, has now become incredibly self-absorbed, bitter, and insecure.

But while Saul hated David, others loved him.  They saw his pure heart and his commitment to the Lord and they were drawn to him.  Jonathan, Saul’s own son, was one who was fiercely dedicated to David.  In today’s focus verses, we see Jonathan try to talk some sense into his father.  Saul commits to Jonathan by taking an oath that he will not kill David.

Of course, we know this doesn’t go as planned.  It doesn’t take long before Saul is back on the warpath.  He’s willing to do anything, even betray his own son, to ensure that David will not get the throne, as if Saul had some kind of power to thwart the will of God. 

In reflecting on today’s text, I began to think about how people were drawn to David.  Jonathan loved his friend, David, and was willing to go to great lengths to save his life (we’ll read more about this tomorrow).  The troops loved David.  Saul’s daughter loved David.  There was simply something about his spirit that drew people toward him. 

There are certainly some people in our lives that are like this.  They exude the spirit of God in their words and behavior.  Thus, we are drawn to them.  We want to be around them.  They are encouraging, loving, and kind.  They never have a negative word to say about anyone.  Think about some of the people in your life that fall into this category.  What can we learn from them?  Give thanks to God for these individuals today. 

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, We thank you for those people in our lives who reflect you in all they do.  We thank you for their lives.  We thank you for the ways they encourage us and inspire us to be better followers of you.  Help us learn from them.  More of you, Jesus, and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.